Solvent-free aerobic oxidation of 1-octene using graphite-supported gold–palladium nanoparticle catalysts

Abstract

The catalytic activity of gold nanoparticles on 1-octene oxidation was investigated under various reaction conditions using air as the oxygen source. We demonstrated that 1-octene can be oxidized by gold catalyst under solvent-free conditions. We also investigated the effect of support, the preparation method, and the choice of metal. We showed that graphite provided the best support for these gold catalysts, and the preparation methods that afforded the smallest particles were the most active. The effect of the gold:palladium ratio on the oxidation of 1-octene was investigated, and monometallic gold catalysts showed better activity when compared with bimetallic catalysts. Thus, the oxidation of 1-octene can be achieved using graphite-supported gold nanoparticles under solvent-free conditions in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide as a radical initiator using oxygen from the air.